"It's a play on the White Russian — what the Dude [from The Big Lebowski] would drink. It's something I wanted to have as a dessert drink, since it's richer in style. It's the kind of drink that you have once in a while, but I've seen people drink four or five in a night. You don't wanna do a total White Russian, which is half and half [vodka and cream]. I only top it with a splash of cream and a splash of club soda, which has this salting agent to sort of break down the cream a bit. For garnish, I put in a house-made dried cherry that we rehydrate with port wine, cinnamon stick, and orange peel." —Sean Rawlinson, The Bedford, Brooklyn, New York

The Dude's Caucasian

Espresso vodka:

2 cups sugar

2 split vanilla beans

6 heaping tablespoons of ground espresso

1 750-ml bottle Kanon Organic (or other) vodka

In a drip coffeemaker, use the amount of water for 2 cups coffee to make an "intense" concentrated brew. In a large container, combine vodka, sugar, vanilla beans, and hot espresso brew. Place used espresso grounds in cheesecloth, add to mixture, and let steep for 24 hours.

Once ready to serve, pour the espresso vodka over rocks into a lowball glass. Top with a drizzle of heavy cream and a splash of soda.